Process and apparatus for the distillation and cracking of hydro carbon oils



June 5, 1928. f,672,459

H. J. JANSEN PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION AND CRACKING OFHYDROCARBON OILS Filed July l5, 1925 Primary Apparatus y orney If,however, 0

odorized cracking product 1t 1s advanta` Patented June 5, 1928.

Um'nzoJ STATES 1,672,459 PATENTv OFFICE.

HERMANUS JOHANNUS JANSEN, 0F SCHIEDAM, NETHERLANDS.

PROCESS'AND APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION AND CRACKING 0F HYDRO- CARBONOILS.

Application med July 13, ,19215, Serial No. 43,339, and in Great BritainJuly 18, 1924.

This invention relates-to the distillation and cracking of hydrocarbonoils such as mineralD oils, tar and the like, and .to apparatus suitablefor this purpose.

In the process of cracking hydrocarbon oil it is well known to conductthe oil in liquid or vaporized condition through molten metal such aslead in various dierent ways'. n

According to the present invention, the drawbacks inherent in the priorprocesses, andwhich need not here be specified, are overcome by passingthe hydrocarbons through a molten mass heated to a cracking temperaturein .such manner that the hydrocarbon vapors are compelled to follow anextended and substantially. horizontal path through the molten mass,which has only a small free surface at the end from which the crackedvapors escape, said vapors carrying the formed carbon in suspension andwithout leaving any residue on said surace.

This process can be applied directly to hydrocarbon oilI with acomparatively low carbon content which can be vaporized entirely withoutleaving a substantial liquid 011I solid residue such as kerosene and theli e.

The molten mass through which the hydrocarbon is passed may be a metalsuch as lead or a salt such as zinc chloride or a metal covered with asalt, su'ch 'as lead covered with zinc chloride.

One of the advantages of the process is that it can be carried outwithout high pressure. A pressure not substantially higher `thanrequired for passing the hydrocarbons through the molten mass (forinstance l@ atmosphere) is suicient in many cases.

.When a metal bath is employed, it may be composed of metals or alloys,which have suitable melting points in accordance with the temperaturesto be obtained (for instance 450" C.) and which are not attacked to anysubstantial extent by the hydrovcarbon oils. In

used with advantage.

Other suitable substances may be metal salts and the like. If the oilsare merely to be cracked, metals are preferable to salts, because metalsare better conductors of heat.

it is desired to obtain a de- 'geous to use a bath of a molten salt,such as ing any residue on said surface.

' gas current. If

many cases lead may' be all the carbon formed and yet remains suiizincchloride. --Even when using a metal bath, such as a lead'bath, thecracked oil is of better quality and odor than oil cracked according tothe known art, which is probably due to a catalytic action of the metal.

The best results in many respects are obtained with a lead bath coveredwith a layer of molten zinc chloride.

If oils with comparatively high carbon contents areusedysuch as heavyasphaltic oils, the process is modified in such a way that the heavyoils are treated intwo steps. In a preliminary step the heavyhydrocarbon oil is passed through a molten mass, having only a smallfree surface, Jfor a sulficient time and at a sulicient temperature todecompose the oil into a heavy liquid residue which collects over asmall area on the vmolten mass and takes up the formed carbon and whichis quickly discharged from the apparatus, and a vaporized fraction whichis further cracked in the second step of the process by passing itthrough a molten mass heated to cracking temperature insuch manner thatit is compelled to follow an extended substantially horizontal paththrough a molten mass-which has only a small free surface at the endfrom which ther cracked vapors escape; said vapors carrying the formedcarbon in suspension without leav- This second step or treatmentof thevaporized fraction corresponds to the above described treatment ofhydrocarbon oil which can be vaporized without leaving a residue. Inboth steps the feature that the molten mass has only a small freesurface is of equal importance. If nok liquid residue is left, thesmallness yof the free surface prevents carbon from being retainedthereon, and causes it to be entirely carried away by the strong liquidresi ue is left, this does not stagnate for along time on the heatedmetal but can be continually and rapidly discharged. `It has noopportunity of being overheated or to form crusts, carbon deposits, cokeand the like; it absorbs ciently liquid to separate readily from themetal or thelike and to prevent the formation of mixtures of metal orother molten substance with solid constituents of the residue.

The apparatus used for cracking hydrocarbon which is vaporiz'ed withoutleaving a substantial residue according to this invention, either as thesingle step in vthe process or as the second step in the two-.stepprocess for cracking heavy hydrocarbon oil, come prises a substantiallyhorizontally extending container entirely filled with molten substance,provided with an inlet for hydrocarbon at one end and a dome at ytheother end having a vapor exit.

The apparatus for carrying out the first step in the two'fstep processfor cracking heavy hydrocarbon oil ma be of a similar construction,4although ot er constructions are also suitable.`

@ther features of the invention'relating to apparatus will be explainedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention however isnot limited to the described apparatus but only by the'claims.

Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal. section of an apparatus for crackingin which no liquid residue is obtained.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line ily-Il, Fig. 4, of a similarapparatus for primarily cracking heavy hydrocarbon oils in which aliquid residue is obtained. l

Fig. 3 is a horizontal'section on line lII-HI of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line IV-V, Fi

ig. 5. represents a combination of Figs. 1 and 2 for carrying out theinvention in the preferred manner.

In Fig. 1 the bath of molten substance for instance lead, is composed ofan Vupper tube 11 and a lowertube 12, connected by two short connections13 and 14. The lower tube 12 is connected to a container 15 throughwhich the apparatus can be charged with lead or other substance. Thetubular system 11, 13, 12, 14 is heatedin any known or suitableway notindicated in the drawing. rlthe tubular system is providedA with' aninlet 2 for liqfuid'or vaporized oil and a discharge tube 3` stance, ifrequired. At the end opposite to the inlet for hydrocarbon extends thedome 4, having a cross section which is small compared with the surfacewhich the molten mass presents to the hydrocarbon on its way from theinlet 2 to the dome 4. The dome 4 has a vapor exit '41. This vapoifexitis connected `to condensing ordephlegmating apparatus'of known orsuitable construction, not shown in the drawing. When no hydrocarbonpasses, the level of the lead or other substance is such that thetubular system is entirely filled with lead and the latter extends for ashort distance into' the dome. When hydrocarbon is fed into-theapparatus in liquid or vaporized condition, the lead is set into aviolent motion and circulates through the system in thc-direction 11,13,A

12, 14. rlhe hydrocarbon is brought toa cracking temperature by contactwith the or discharging molten sub-Y heated mass and cracked. When lnoliquid residue remains, the apparatus according to Fig.. l is used, andthe Avapor-ined hydrocarbons carrying with them any carbon which may bepresent in the form of a fine dust,

pass away through the exit-41. l

lll/hen a liquid residue is formed'the ap paratus according to Fig. 5 ispreferably` used, said. figure representing the apparatus shown in Fig.1 combined with that illustrated in Figs. 24. ln Figs. 2 4, the numerals with the prime'marks applied theren to indicate the same parts asthe corresponding numerals in Fig. 1 without the prime marks, and thedome 4 has two baflle plates 42 and 43 at right angles to each other,bams 42 standing in the path of the vapor and eX- tending from about oneinch beneath the surface of the molten mass t-o far into the v dome, andbams 43 extending parallel to u the flow of liquid to nearly the end ofthe tubular system. rI his bao 43 extends to the bottom of the apparatusand constitutes the side wall of the dome proper, except for the spacea-bc-dl' between said baiile and the end wall 431- of the dome. The domehas further alateral extension 44 with a discharge aperture 45 for theliquid residue,

said extension being placed against the has l I 43 and extending to thewall 431i.v The baiiies 42 and 43 form two of the walls of a chamviolentmotion of the molten mass the residue is intermittently introduced intothe chamber 46 passing beneath the lower edge of baiiie 42.` In chamber4dv the residue be- 105 gins to settle and Hows around baille 43 lintothe chamber 44, from which it is discharged in. a continuous stream bythe aperture 452 into a goose-neck 451.

InFig. 5, the exit 41 of the primary cracking apparatus is connected bya con duit P to the inlet 2 ofthe main or second til) ico if.' thechamber 46 under the balile 42. By the l ary cracking apparatus. Heatedcrude hy- K .drocarbon oil is charged at 2 into the primary crackingapparatus, and separated therein `into a` liquid residue .which is dis@charged at 45v and a gaseousportion whichl passes through thev exit. 41and the conduit l? to the inlet 2 of the main or secondary 'api paratus.v The'vaporsare cracked in the lat-1.

izo

ter apparatus' and are discharged in cracked l condition by the outlet41, carrying with them any carbon formed and leaving no resi-V due. A

Inorder to avoid too large vapor bubbles being formed, the upper wall ofsuch containers may be provided with plates, battles or the like, inAorder to break up such bubbles and if desired, to increase the lengthof their path.

yIf steaiii,hydrogenor other gases 3. Apparatus for crackin hydrocarbonsface; and withdrawin may be introduced at the Sametime with comprising asubstantiallyA orizoiital conthe /hydrocarbon oil `or vapors,in order tota'iner adapted tobe entirely filled with a 40 pro/mote the cracking ortoobtain Vmore molten substance,l said container being prosaturatedcracking products., vided at one end With an inlet for hydro- What Iclaim is: carbons and at the other end with a dome of 1. A. process forcrackinglfydrocarbons, small section at the level of the molten sub'-vcomprising the steps of passing the hydrostance and having a vapor exit.4 5 carbons in an, extended and substantially 4. Apparatus for crackinghydrocarbons horizontal path through a molten mass comcomprising asubstantiallyhorizontal tubuposed of lead with ka top layer of zincchlolar'container provided at one end Withan ride which is heated tocracking -temperaf, `finlet`or hydrocarbons and atthe other end tureandwhich has only a small freel sur-V with a dome having a vapor exit,`anda sec- 5o.

fr the hydrocarbon ond tubularcontainer extending. beneath the` vaporsescaping. at sueh surface, andthe first container and connected to thesame at carbon' .carried in lsuspension therein soasr1 opposite Aends,`-both 'containers' adapted to to avoid the formation of a residue onsaid be entirely filled with a molten substance which can circulatethrough the containers. 55 2. A process for cracking hydrocarbons, v.5..Apparatus` according Ato claim 4 in, comp-rising the steps of passing aheavy which means are provided-for charging and hydrocarbon oilthrough-a molten .mass havdischarging molten substance into and from ingonly a small free surface, so as to dethe tubular system.

compose said oil into a heavy liquid residue 6. Apparatus v for crackinghydrocarbon 6o which collects at such surace and takes-up oilscomprising a substantially horizontal the carbon ormed'handl avap'orized raccontainer provided at one end with an inlet tion;withdrawing said residue fromltheapor hydrocarbons, and at the other endwith v paratus; passing such a vaporized fraction a dome,having a vaporexit,v and vertical in an extended and substantially horizontalpartitions in the dome disposed in the path 65 path through asecondmolten mass which is othe vapors at right angles to each other, heated"Vto cracking temperature and. which said dome'having a residue exit inthat part has onl a small ree surface,v so as to siibU thereof which is.protected by the partitions ject said fraction to av further cracking.against the turbulent movement caused by action; and withdrawingthefcracked vapors the'passing vapors. 7 0

escaping at'the -free s uriace of the vsecond In testimony whereof IYaii'ix my signamolten mass and the carbon carried in susture.

'pension therein, so as to avoid the forma- OD O IeSidllQQIismd Surface.'JAN v

